LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — Three Oaks Center marked the opening of the Andre Rice Emergency Men’s Shelter with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, celebrating the completion of facility renovations aimed at improving safety, dignity and living conditions for men experiencing homelessness in St. Mary’s County.
The updated shelter was designed as an emergency housing resource for men in crisis and is part of Three Oaks Center’s broader mission to provide housing stabilization, assessment and community connections to supportive services that help individuals move toward self-sufficient living.
St. Mary’s County commissioners, nonprofit leaders and community members attended the event, which honored the legacy of Andre Rice, a longtime community advocate, former U.S. Navy member and past president of Three Oaks Center.
Three Oaks Center was incorporated in 1992 following community discussions about the lack of shelter services for homeless men in the county. The organization opened its first facility in the mid-1990s and has since expanded its work to include emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, outreach services and mental health-focused programs.
In addition to emergency housing, Three Oaks Center operates prevention programs that assist residents with food access, rental assistance and utility support, aiming to keep individuals and families housed before a crisis occurs.
St. Mary’s County Commissioners Eric Colvin and Scott Ostrow formally recognized the opening of the Andre Rice Emergency Men’s Shelter, presenting a proclamation that highlighted Three Oaks Center’s decades-long role in addressing homelessness and housing instability in the county.
Commissioner Eric Colvin said the timing of the reopening amid cold weather conditions emphasized the shelter’s existing role as a place of safety and dignity for residents in crisis. The proclamation formally named the refurbished facility in honor of the late Andre Rice, citing his leadership, compassion and advocacy for the vulnerable and disengaged members of his community.
“Three Oaks Center has served as a vital resource in St. Mary’s County for nearly three decades,” Colvin said, reading the proclamation. “Providing emergency shelter, supportive services and pathways to stable housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, while helping restore dignity, stability and hope in times of crisis.”
St. Mary’s County Commissioner Scott Ostrow also addressed attendees and described the large turnout for the ribbon-cutting as evidence of community support and called the shelter’s reopening an important step in acknowledging the ongoing needs related to homelessness in St. Mary’s County.
“This is going to be a blessing to so many people that truly need this,” Ostrow said. “There’s still so much more we need to do, but this is a great step in the right direction.”
Three Oaks Center Executive Director Sasha Seenath said the Andre Rice Emergency Men’s Shelter represents both a tribute to a longtime community leader and a critical expansion of emergency housing in Lexington Park.
Seenath said Andre Rice was a former board president whose commitment to helping others extended well beyond formal roles. She said naming the men’s shelter in his honor reflected the compassion, service and human connection that defined his work in the community.
“He was someone in our community that consistently met the need to support anyone—men, women, children, disabled, pretty much anybody in a situation,” Seenath said. “He would come to the facility, play chess, checkers, cards—just a good human being [who] helped people genuinely.”
Seenath said that opening the men’s shelter in Lexington Park is vital, particularly during winter months, as the area continues to experience a high concentration of residents facing housing instability. She also outlined Three Oaks Center’s broader work across St. Mary’s County and said the organization’s longstanding presence has allowed it to respond to evolving community needs while maintaining a focus on dignity, stability and support.
“We provide emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, and housing for families with children, single women, veterans and chronically homeless individuals,” Seenath said. “All of these individuals are humans. They’re people.”
Andre Rice: A Community Leader And A Legacy Not Forgotten
Gary Rice, Andre’s brother, said the reopening of the Andre Rice Emergency Men’s Shelter represented a continuation of his brother’s lifelong commitment to helping people experiencing homelessness in St. Mary’s County. He said the shelter reflected the work his brother devoted himself to for decades, often outside of any formal role or recognition.
“We’re here to honor my brother’s legacy, in particular when it comes to the homeless and the need of the community,” Rice said. “This house right here actually really represents what his legacy was all about.”
Rice said his brother’s concern for others began in childhood and continued throughout his adult life, shaped by lessons passed down from their mother.
“From the age of 12, he always had that caring for the community, and it just escalated all the way through adulthood,” Rice said. “My mother embedded that caring for people, helping someone.”
Rice said the shelter’s location in Lexington Park was significant because of the visible need in the surrounding area.
“This particular area right here really has a need,” Rice said. “You see people walking the streets or in the woods. They need help. They need someone to understand and care.”
Andre Rice’s work extended beyond professional responsibilities, often involving simple acts of kindness and personal connection.
“He would take people from the shelter out to dinner, go fishing with them, just listen to their story,” Rice said. “Who does that? Andre did that.”
Three Oaks Center was deeply personal to Andre Rice and remained a central part of his life.
“Three Oaks was his baby,” Rice said. “Those clients meant so much to him. He took money out of his own pocket to make sure someone could get food, or a cup of coffee, or come out of the woods and get warm.”
Andre Rice’s family donated a portrait of Andre Rice to the shelter so his presence would remain part of the space.
“That portrait was at his service, and we donated it for the house so he can watch over all his clients,” Rice said. “He’s still working. He’s still bringing people together.”
Patrice Campbell, founder and executive director of Building Bridges, described Andre Rice as a leader and friend who played a hands-on role in supporting people transitioning out of homelessness. She said Rice’s leadership as board president at Three Oaks Center helped ensure individuals experiencing homelessness received not only shelter but practical support as they moved toward stability.
“Andre Rice was an amazing friend and leader. He worked with me and with the women in the shelter when they moved out,” Campbell said. “He used his contacts and connections to make sure our women moving out of the shelter had everything that they needed.”
Rev. Dr. Andrea Cummings from Zion United Methodist Church in Lexington Park attended the ribbon-cutting to honor the legacy of Andre Rice, a member of the church whose family remains active in the congregation. Although she did not know Rice personally, Cummings said his character and compassion were evident through the stories shared by his family and the community, as well as through the shelter bearing his name.
“To have a shelter, especially right now, to sit out here in the chilling weather that we have, so that folks can be able to have some shelter from the wind and be supported where they are,” Cummings said. “It reminds us of the power of community care.”
State Delegate Candidates Highlight Need For Men’s Shelter
Adrianne Mathis, a candidate for state delegate in District 29B, said the opening of the Andre Rice Emergency Men’s Shelter reflected both a community need and a commitment to addressing homelessness in St. Mary’s County. She said she attended the ribbon-cutting to honor Andre Rice and to better understand how the shelter will serve men experiencing housing instability.
“We’re here to celebrate, in honor of Andre Rice, who was such an instrumental part of the Three Oaks Center,” Mathis said. “We’re here to open up the emergency men’s shelter and to see how it will help people move forward and be successful.”
According to Mathis, homelessness in St. Mary’s County is often hidden and easily overlooked, making facilities like the men’s shelter especially important.
“Homelessness in St. Mary’s County exists, and it’s hard to see it,” Mathis said. “It’s kind of out of sight, out of mind, but it’s here, and because it exists, we need to pay more intentional attention to the needs of the people.”
The shelter also serves as a gateway to additional services that can help individuals stabilize and move toward long-term housing, according to Mathis.
“It gives hope,” Mathis said. “It’s short term and an emergency [service], but it connects people to the next level of support.”
Jennifer Clancy, a candidate for state delegate in District 29A and a mental health professional with Counseling & Wellness Collective, said the opening of the emergency men’s shelter was an important step in meeting unmet needs in the Lexington Park and Great Mills area. She said the shelter provided men with access to stability, services and community connections that can be difficult to reach without a secure place to stay.
“To be able to house someone even temporarily gives them a leg up,” Clancy said. “It allows them to be in a community with one another, share resources and access additional services.”
Clancy said the shelter’s location strengthens its impact, placing men close to social services, transportation and daily necessities.
“Every single human deserves to have the opportunity to get themselves into a place they can be proud of,” Clancy said. “Men in particular are often taught that they should already have everything together, but who’s providing for them when they need it?”
Three Oaks Center’s broader work across St. Mary’s County includes emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing, family housing, and services for veterans and chronically homeless individuals. According to Sasha Seenath, the organization’s longstanding presence has allowed it to respond to evolving community needs while maintaining a focus on dignity, stability and support.
“Showcase grace, showcase humility, just provide a hand up,” Seenath said. “Because you never know when that hand is where people will finally find a way to move forward.”
Three Oaks Center
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 776, Lexington Park, MD 20653
Programs Office: 46905 Lei Drive, Lexington Park, MD 20653
Administrative Office: 21155 Lexwood Drive, Suite A, Lexington Park, MD 20653
Phone: 301-863-9535
Email: gethelp@threeoakscenter.org
Website: https://threeoakscenter.org/
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